TORRINGTON >> The Torrington Police department is investigating two separate incidents involving a mayoral candidate who is alleging he has been harassed and intimidated by officers.

Giulio Romano is one of four candidates running for Mayor in Torrington. The Independent candidate successfully petitioned in August to appear in the November ballot.

In a letter sent to the Register Citizen and police department officials, Romano said he’s been the subject of abuse of power, intimidation, harassment and interference with no probable cause from Torrington Police officers.

Romano said he’s filed a complaint with the Torrington Police Department as a result of one of the incidents, which prompted their review.

“How long should a legitimate candidate for mayor withstand this type of treatment? This is something unheard (of),” Romano said.

Torrington Police Department spokesperson Lt. Bruce Whiteley said because the review is currently open, he is not at the liberty to discuss details about the investigation. The review involves three officers.

“We are aware and we have listened to the allegations,” Whiteley said. “We are reviewing the interactions that he had with our officers.”

The first incident occurred on Oct. 15 at about 7 p.m. That night, Romano said an officer called him about a complaint she had attended to regarding Romano placing a campaign sign at a residence on Torringford West Street. The caller also alleged a dog accompanying the man defecated on her lawn and that Romano acted unprofessionally.

Romano said he told the officer that he had been in a meeting at the time the caller alleged Romano placed the campaign signs at their home.

According to the police report, Romano was not present at the scene; two men were campaigning for him outside the residency, which prompted the call from the resident. The resident said she felt uncomfortable with the two men, who asked her to open her door to talk about Romano. According to the report, one of the men came to an open window and began to speak to the resident. The presence of the dog also made the resident uncomfortable, the report said.

The officer who responded to the call contacted Romano via phone and told him of the complaint. She suggested that his campaign workers not work that late because it made people nervous. She also suggested that the men not bring the dog.

Romano was irritated, the report said, and said his campaign workers were not doing anything wrong. The report said the call disconnected but the officer did not call Romano back due to his “poor attitude towards the complaint.”

The second incident took place at about 3 p.m. of the following day at the U.S. Post Office on East Elm Street. In the letter, Romano said he was denied access to the office and was accused by the officers of federal trespassing, loitering and exceeding 15 minutes to park and conduct business.

According to the police report of the incident, an officer was called to he scene for a complaint of simple trespassing. Several people attending the post office had complained that Romano had been actively promoting himself as a candidate, had been soliciting votes for nearly three hours and was making people uncomfortable.

Romano told police he had only been at the office for about 10 minutes to pick up mail. He was given a formal warning about campaigning on the premises, which Romano denied he had done on the property. Romano also said he “respected the badge” after telling officers that he had once served as law enforcement officer in his native Italy.

An unnamed witness was present at the event and watched it unfold, Romano said. The witness stayed voluntarily.

After confronting the officers about the accusations, Romano said he wanted to leave as he had other business to conduct. Before leaving, Romano said one of the officers told Romano that he did not know why Romano was not allowed to enter the building.

Before police arrived, Romano ran into Mayor Gerry Zordan in the parking lot of the post office.

“We were chatting there for about five minutes,” Zordan said. He said their conversation was just about finished when the police showed up. Zordan said he asked if the police needed him there; they said no, so he left.

Two days later on Oct. 18, Romano said he spoke with Deputy Chief Christopher Smedick in regards to the post office incident, asking to set a date for an appointment, which took place on Oct. 21. Romano said he met with Smedick and Lt. David Wood on the scheduled day.

“I’m not playing the victim here, I’m just stating facts,” Romano said.

Whiteley said Romano was not happy with the end results of the actions taken by the officers during the two incidents, which prompted Romano’s complaint.

Romano is also alleging that up to 40 of his campaign sings have been stolen or destroyed.

He said he always asks permission from a property owner before placing signs and that he doesn’t believe the other mayoral candidates—Republican Elinor Carbone, Democrat George Craig and unaffiliated write-in candidate Jacque A. Williams—have had their signs stolen.

Romano moved to Connecticut last year to become a Latin and Italian teacher at Torrington High School. He filed a lawsuit against the school district earlier this year after he was fired, alleging wrongful termination. Litchfield Superior Court Judge John A. Danaher III threw out the lawsuit on procedural grounds earlier this month. Romano has said he plans to appeal the decision to a higher court in Connecticut rather than re-file in Litchfield.

Romano has also drawn the ire of the school district during his current campaign. Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Kloczko sent a cease-and-desist letter to Romano this month telling him to stop sending emails to students and parents to solicit votes, using contact information he obtained while he was teaching.

The district said parents complained about receiving the emails, although it wasn’t clear if Romano broke any laws. Romano called the letter “intimidation” by the district after it came the same week as his lawsuit was dismissed. He said he did nothing wrong by sending the emails.

About the Author

Reporter Esteban L. Hernandez is a reporter with the New Haven Register. He formerly covered Torrington for The Register Citizen. Reach the author at ehernandez@registercitizen.com
or follow Esteban L. on Twitter: @EstebanHRZ.